Becoming a Mother: What Really Changes in Well-Being—and When

People’s emotional well-being changes in different ways as they become mothers. The birth of a first child boosts positive mood and strengthens a sense of meaning in life, while at the same time reducing overall life satisfaction and relationship satisfaction. These are the findings of a study by the Universities of Greifswald and Tilburg, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. For the first time, the researchers examined in high temporal resolution how women’s psychological well-being evolves from pregnancy through the first months after childbirth.